If you had to sum up how the Islanders operated under Lou Lamoriello, a perfect case study would be Lane Lambert’s hiring in 2022.
Over a weeklong coaching search, there were next to no leaks. The Islanders announced the news themselves, while the Rangers were in the middle of a playoff series, and held a Zoom call with Lamoriello and Lambert the same day. Lambert’s camera was turned off.
That was the Islanders. Low-profile, no pomp and circumstance, no push to get fans behind the latest move — be it a coaching hire, a trade or (as was often the case) a quiet trade deadline.
The team’s social media presence since Mathieu Darche was hired on Friday — replete with a video of Darche calling a season-ticket holder, pictures of the new GM stopping by the team’s office and pictures of him outside the locker room at UBS Arena — would fall under the category of block-and-tackle stuff for most, if not all, other teams.
